Sports Archive

SPORTS ARCHIVE

The softball squad was forced to make some schedule changes over the weekend. The Huskies were scheduled to play Augustana on Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska but due to field conditions the doubleheader was cancelled. The games will not be made up. The Huskies were able to get a pair of games in on Saturday with Wayne State where they split in the doubleheader. The Huskies dominated in game one by a score of 18-0 before falling 6-5 in game two. SCSU is now 8-4 in conference play and 23-16 overall on the season.

Up next the Huskies take on Bemidji State. The doubleheader has been moved to the Husky Dome and will be played Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

"It's been a season of firsts for St. Cloud State so this one was fitting" Drew LeBlanc said during a press conference following the 2013 Hobey Baker announcement. The fifth-year senior captain from Hermantown, MN became the first athlete in school history to win the prestigious honor.

The Hobey Baker Award is one that’s given to the best player in college hockey and uses both on and off ice characteristics as guidelines to determine eligibility for the award. LeBlanc was a leader in the first phase of fan voting in the middle of the season, he was then named a Top 10 finalist and eventually a Hat Trick (top three) finalist. In the fan voting phase at the Hat Trick level LeBlanc ran away with the lead. However, it’s not just fan votes that determine the winner. A selection committee of Division I coaches, NHL scouts and media members make the ultimate decision.

Drew LeBlanc surrounded by his team after winning the Hobey Baker honor at the CONSOL Energy Center on Friday. Photo courtesy of St. Cloud State Communications.

LeBlanc was presented the honor on Friday night at the CONSOL energy center in Pittsburgh, PA in front of his team, family, coaches and many fans. “It’s tough to put into words. Obviously it’s a tremendous honor.” Said the senior captain from Hermantown after accepting the award. LeBlanc's journey the past five years at St. Cloud State University is one that Hobey Baker himself could be proud of; returning after a horrendous broken leg last season to lead the Huskies to their first Frozen Four appearance in school history while leading the nation in assists all season, climbing in Husky record books and becoming the first athlete in WCHA history to earn both the Outstanding Student Athlete and Player of the Year Awards. Up next for the Hobey Baker winner is some time in the NHL. LeBlanc has just signed a one year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

Contributed by: Gina Carlson

It was a season of firsts. The 2012-2013 St. Cloud State University men’s hockey season has come to a close but not without a few more additions to the first time category. From first year standouts to first time as conference champions, first Frozen Four appearance, and finally the first time any SCSU player has earned the Hobey Baker Award. The loss to Quinnipiac at the NCAA Frozen Four on April 11 ended the Huskies historic run, just shy of a National Championship. The memorable season has lifted the program to new levels and set it up for a bright future.

The Huskies battled with the Bobcats of Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The Massachusetts-Lowell and Yale game prior to the SCSU and Quinnipiac showdown went into overtime, causing the second semifinal of the day to be bumped back. The puck dropped about 45 minutes after the scheduled time and the Bobcats used the extra prep time much to their advantage, wasting no time to show up prepared for the battle.

It was the first 11 minutes of the game that set the table for the remaining 49 minutes. Not even two minutes into the game Jordan Samuels-Thomas netted a wrap around shot that went five-hole on Ryan Faragher to give the Bobcats an early 1-0 lead. It was only about three minutes later that Oakdale, MN native, Ben Arnt scored what would eventually become the game winning goal. Before the first frame came to a close Jeremy Langlois scored to give the Bobcats a 3-0 lead heading into intermission.

The Huskies began to battle back in the second period, working tirelessly to solve goaltender and Hobey Hat Trick finalist, Eric Hartzell. Hartzell entered the game with a goals against of 1.55 and proved his position as once of the best goaltenders in the nation during the game turning away nearly all of SCSU’s chances. At the 6:25 mark it was freshman Joey Benik that was finally able to get one past Hartzell. Kevin Gravel and Cory Thorson were credited assists on the play that made the score 3-1 with just over half the game remaining. The Bobcats took a three-goal lead again just eight minutes after the Benik goal. It was Kellen Jones that scored to make it a 4-1 game at the end of two.

The Huskies showed brief signs of life in the third period and pulled Ryan Faragher with about three minutes remaining to try and even the score and continue the season. However, the Huskies were unable to get any more pucks past Hartzell despite putting 33 shots on net. SCSU fell by a final score of 4-1 to end the season. Quinnipac advanced to the championship game to play on Saturday night, April 13, while the Huskies retreated to the locker room for the final time.

It was the last night that seniors Ben Hanowski and Drew LeBlanc dawned the cardinal red, black and white jerseys. In the post-game press conference emotions were clearly spent and the captains along with coach Bob Motzko were at a loss for words. Motzko stated “(the first) eleven minutes weren't very good for us. They battled back like champions, and give Quinnipiac credit.” Hanowski and LeBlanc were also present after the game, both speaking very few words in what was a brief and emotional wrap-up of what just occurred.

The Huskies ended the season with a final record of 25-16-1 and were the last WCHA team to stand in the NCAA tournament. The post-season run was the best in school history and laid a framework for years to come. The Huskies said goodbye to three seniors that helped build the program over the past few years; Taylor Johnson, Ben Hanowski and Drew LeBlanc were all members of the team during the only NCAA tournament wins in school history. It was St. Cloud State’s first appearance in the Frozen Four as well as the only WCHA Championship, the MacNaughton Cup, for the regular season conference champions. Next season the Huskies will join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference to start another chapter in the history books and continue building on what has begun this season.

A pep rally was held Tuesday in the Atwood Memorial Center to show support for the SCSU Men's Hockey team before they headed to Pittsburgh for their first NCAA Frozen Four appearance.

SCSU is inviting the campus and the community to wear red and black and Thursday to celebrate the first ever Frozen Four appearance by the Husky Hockey Team.

Several viewing parties will be held in the St. Cloud and surrounding area to watch the game on Thursday night. Listen to the game on KVSC. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. and the puck will drop at 7:00. Keep up to date with hockey news on our Twitter account.

This weekend the SCSU Huskies look to finally make their debut at Joe Faber Field. A late spring arrival has caused schedule changes nearly every game. The Huskies haven't been one bit effected by the setbacks, posting a 21-2 overall record while staying undefeated in NSIC play at 10-0. SCSU currently has a 14 game win streak.

The Huskies are scheduled to host Winona State on Saturday and Sunday for a pair of doubleheaders. Listen along to all the action with Declan Goff on the KVSC Sports Stream. The games get underway at noon both days, stayed tuned to SCSU Athletics and our Twitter feed for the latest in time and potential location changes.

*The baseball games scheduled to be played this weekend at Joe Faber Field have been cancelled due to weather conditions. Make up games have not yet been scheduled.*

The SCSU Men’s Hockey Team is Frozen Four Tuesday and a pep rally will be held for them prior to their departure on Tuesday, April 9th. The pep rally is open to the public and fans will hear from the Husky team captains, Ben Hanowski and Drew LeBlanc as well as head Coach Bob Motzko.

The pep rally will begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Atwood Mall at SCSU. In the event of rain, the pep rally will be held in the Atwood Center Ballroom.

This is the first time in SCSU history that the hockey team has made it to the Frozen Four. SCSU plays Quinnipiac in the second semifinal on Thursday, April 11th. The Bobcats are the number one overall seed in the entire tournament while the Huskies snuck into the tournament last minute. The Huskies have managed to upset two top ranked opponents to make it to the Frozen Four. The Huskies are just two wins away from a National Championship. Listen to the action live from the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA with Sports Directors Gina Carlson and Scott Gross on Thursday night. Our coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. central time with a 7:00 puck drop. Follow us on Twitter for even more Husky hockey news.

Husky Tennis: Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams were in action over the weekend. The men’s team was in Grand Forks to take on the University of North Dakota while the women enjoyed the comforts of home at Fitness Evolution in nearby Sartell. The men’s team lost a 9-0 decision to their Division 1 rival, North Dakota on Saturday. The women’s team hosted Sioux Falls and Minnesota Crookston for a pair of NSIC matches, where they also collected a pair of victories both by 8-1 decisions.

Softball: The Husky softball team has played six games since last Thursday, posting a 5-1 record over the three series. This past weekend the University of Sioux Falls visited the Husky Dome on Saturday. The Huskies swept the Cougars by scores of 10-5 and 2-1. Then on Sunday, Southwest Minnesota State was in town; the Huskies lost the first game of the doubleheader 5-7 before rebounding with a convincing 13-7 victory in game two.

Senior catcher, Mikayla Hogan played in all innings of the six games and notched eight runs, hit three double, three home runs and earned 11 RBI's. Hogan never struck out in any of the games either. Her stellar performance has earned her the honor of NSIC Player of the Week.

SCSU is now 20-15 this season and 5-3 in conference play. On Wednesday the Huskies will host the University of Minnesota Crookston at the Husky Dome.

Baseball: The Husky baseball team didn’t let a location change affect them on Sunday. The games with Minot state were scheduled to be played in St. Cloud but were moved to Minnetonka High School due to field conditions. The Huskies defeated the beavers 1-0 and 4-2. The Huskies took it to the Beaver again on Monday morning to remain undefeated in NSIC play. SCSU won by scores of 8-3 and 7-4. The Huskies are scheduled to play a pair of doubleheaders at Joe Faber Field this weekend, the team has yet to play there do to field conditions. Stay tuned with us via Twitter for up to the minute scores and location changes.

The men’s hockey team continues to write history this season as they gear up to participate in the NCAA Frozen Four. SCSU will play Quinnipiac next Thursday at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The Huskies are just two wins away from a national title. KVSC will be there as well to provide all the action on 88.1 FM and online. Our coverage will begin a half hour prior to puck drop, at 6:30 p.m. central time. The Huskies have been swamped with a frenzy of media this week surrounding their first appearance in the Frozen Four and a variety of awards.

Senior, Co-Captain Drew LeBlanc has been named a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist. The Hobey Baker Award is given to a player that exhibits strength and character on and off the ice. LeBlanc is the second Husky to make the final three, the other was Mark Hartigan in 2002. The award winner will be announced on April 12 during the awards ceremony in Pittsburgh at the Frozen Four.

More awards for the men’s team include Nick Jensen and Jonny Brodzinski honored by College Hockey News. Jensen earned First Team honors at defense and ranks second in the nation among defenders with 27 assists. Brodzinski made the All-Rookie Team, he leads the Huskies with most goals scored this season with 22. That's also the most of any rookie in the nation.

Head coach Bob Motzko is also a finalist for the Spencer Penrose award. That award is given to the NCAA Division One Coach of the Year. Motzko is one of seven finalists after leading the Huskies to the program's first Frozen Four with a 25-15-4 overall record. The award winner will be announced Wednesday, April 10.

The Hobey Baker award is given annually to the top player in men’s ice hockey who “exhibits strength of character both on and off the ice and contributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game.”

LeBlanc, a fifth-year senior from Hermantown, MN, joins Eric Hartzel from Quinnipiac University and Johnny Gaudreau from Boston College as the finalists, dubbed the Hobey Hat Trick.

“You knew he was going to be one of the best players in the country,” said St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko. “I’m so happy for him. He could have left, but he didn’t. He came back for the right reasons, and he’s been rewarded for that.”

LeBlanc was at Apollo High School working as a student teacher when the announcement was made. He didn’t know he was named a top-three finalist, but he could tell something happened because of all the messages he was receiving.

“There’s a lot of good college hockey players out there” said LeBlanc, and to be recognized as one of the Hobey Hat Trick, I don’t have the words to describe it.”

LeBlanc also chose to give credit to his teammates. “It does mean a lot to me, of course, it wouldn’t have happened without the success of our team.”

The Huskies play Quinnipiac University in the Frozen Four next Thursday night at the CONSOL Energy Center is Pittsburgh, Pa. The Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced the night after on Friday Apr. 12.

The SCSU Baseball team moved up in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Central Region poll this week. The Huskies are now ranked fourth. SCSU swept Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday in a doubleheader at the Metrodome. The Huskies remain undefeated in NSIC play with a 6-0 record, they are 17-2 overall.

This weekend the Huskies will play a pair of doubleheaders at Minnetonka High School against Minot State. The games were originally scheduled to be played at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud however; the field is not ready to be played on yet thanks to Mother Nature. Due to location changes KVSC will not be able to cover the baseball games this weekend.

Stay tuned in with us on for the latest changes to the spring schedules and when we will have coverage of the upcoming games.

There's been another change in the Husky baseball schedule. The home opener originally slated for Wednesday afternoon at Joe Faber Field will now be played at the Metrodome tomorrow morning.

SCSU will host Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. KVSC cover the game via the Sports Stream. Over the weekend the Huskies were scheduled to play a pair of double headers with Upper Iowa that were cancelled due to field conditions in Fayette, Iowa. The Huskies are 15-2 on the young season.

After defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, the Huskies came back with another solid game on Sunday to send the team to their first-ever Frozen Four.

After scoring two goals in Saturday’s victory, freshman Joey Benik got the scoring stated in the first period at the 5:28 mark with his 6th goal of the season to put St. Cloud up 1-0 early. Late in the first, Miami threw a flurry of shots on net, and goaltender Ryan Faragher was able to stop all of them. Miami led in the shots category after the first period with a 9-6 advantage, after St. Cloud had started the period with a 6-2 advantage in shots, but the score remained 1-0.

The second period started with Joey Benik striking once again. Just like his two goals on Saturday, Benik picked up a rebound at the goal mouth and stuffed it into a wide open net, making it 2-0 with his 7th goal of the season and 2nd of the game. That put Benik’s goal total in the national tournament to four after scoring only three goals in 18 games played. Benik’s second goal was assised by Brooks Bertsch and Kevin Gravel.

After a holding the stick penalty assessed to Nick Jensen, Miami was able to get on the board with a powerplay goal at the 7:50 mark of the second on Blake Coleman’s 9th goal of the season, making it a 2-1 game. The Huskies were able to respond relatively quickly with a long goal off the stick of Cory Thorson at 10:12 of the second period, brining SCSU’s lead back up to two goals. Thorson’s goal was also assisted by Bertsch, who has two assists in the contest.

The Huskies entered the third period just 20 minutes away from their first ever Frozen Four berth. St. Cloud’s third line has all six points up to this point, and Faragher has kept the team in the lead with 13 saves after two. With Miami hanging on for dear life, the Huskies turned things up on defense. The two teams traded powerplays with no avail. Faragher kept the door shut with seven saves in the third. St. Cloud only put five shots on goal in the third but did a great job at limiting Miami’s chances. Tensions were high on both benches. Miami’s head coach Enrico Blasi was clearly looking nervous on his bench, while coach Bob Motzko appeared to be much cooler, whether he actually was or not. The game entered the final minute. Miami’s goaltender Ryan McKay has been pulled. St. Cloud missed a couple of opportunities with a wide open net on the other side. Just as it appeared the Huskies were heading to the Frozen Four, Cory Thorson scored an empty net goal with 0.2 seconds left in the game, allowing St. Cloud to start celebrating a little early.

The game ended with a score of 4-1. The third line for SCSU scored all of the points in the game. The seven points came from Benik (2G), Bertsch (2A), and Thorson (2G 1A). Ryan Faragher ended the evening with 20 saves, and was named goaltender for the all-regional team. Defenseman Andrew Prochno also made the all-regional team, along with Cory Thorson and Joey Benik, who was also named the Midwest Regional’s Most Outstanding Player.

St. Cloud joins the Yale Bulldogs, University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks, and the Quinnipiac Bobcats at the Frozen Four. All four teams will have the next weekend off, and the Frozen Four will get underway on Thursday, April 11, for the semi-finals. UMass-Lowell will be playing Yale in the first game at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA, followed by the evening game of St. Cloud State and Quinnipiac. SCSU and Quinnipiac are slated to start at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, and will be aired on ESPN 2, and, of course, on KVSC. All four teams in the Frozen Four field are seeking their first national championship. On Friday the 12th or April, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award recipient will be announced out of the three finalists (Hobey Hattrick). The championship game will be held the next night, with the winner of that game hoisting their first ever national title.

KVSC will do the best job at keeping you up to date until that time. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for all updates concerning St. Cloud State Hockey.

Contributed by: Bryan Kangas

The SCSU Huskies are participating in the Division One Men's Ice Hockey tournament this weekend. St. Cloud State University will play in the Midwest Regional that takes place Toledo, Ohio. Minnesota State Mankato, Miami (OH), and Notre Dame are also participating in that regional tournament.

The Huskies, the four seed in the regional, played the one seed at the site, Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies were able to defeat the Fighting Irish 5-1 in a thrilling game at the Huntington Center. The Huskies scored two goals on the power play; both by freshman Joey Benik. Benik said after the game,"I just came in with an open mind to do everything that I could to help the team." The other goals in the game were from senior Ben Hanowski, junior Cory Thorson and freshman Jonny Brodzinski. Ten different Huskies notched a point in the game. After the game head coach Bob Motzko said "These kind of teams don't roll around every year. This is a great group of guys, amazing work ethic." Motzko also said he was happy with how the team played.

Next up the Huskies will play Miami (OH) who defeated Minnesota State 4-0 early Saturday evening. The Miami/SCSU game takes place Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH. The puck will drop at 3:00 central time. KVSC's Sports Directors will have the call on 88.1 FM and online with a pregame show at 2:30 p.m. The winner of the game will advance to the Frozen Four that takes place April 11 and 13 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Follow us on Twitter for up to the minute news. Also, vote for Drew LeBlanc in the second round of fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award.

The SCSU Huskies will play in the Division One Men's Ice Hockey tournament this weekend. St. Cloud State University will play in the Midwest Regional that takes place Toledo, Ohio. Minnesota State Mankato, Miami (OH), and Notre Dame will also participate in that regional tournament.

The Huskies are a four seed in the regional and will play the one seed at the site, Notre Dame. SCSU (23-15-1) faces off with the Irish (25-12-3) on Saturday at 12:30 central time in Toledo, Ohio. The game can be heard on the KVSC airwaves 88.1 FM or online with Co-Sports Directors Scott Gross and Gina Carlson. Our pregame show will begin at noon on Saturday.

View the complete bracket for the NCAA tournament here and join our bracket challenge. If the Huskies win on Saturday they will play in the Regional Championship game on Sunday afternoon, which will also air on KVSC. The winner in Sunday's game will advance to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh on April 11 and 13.

Follow us on Twitter for up to the minute news. Also, vote for Drew LeBlanc in the second round of fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award.

There's been another change in the Huskies baseball schedule. The home opener originally slated for next Wednesday afternoon at Joe Faber Field will now be played at the Metrodome. SCSU will host Minnesota Crookston next Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:30 a.m. KVSC will still cover the game, our coverage will now be on the Sports Stream. The weekend the baseball team will be in action this weekend in Iowa to take on the Peacocks of Upper Iowa University. The Huskies are 15-2 on the young season.

The Husky softball team has also been plagued by the late start to spring this year. The plethora of snow has forced the Huskies games, originally scheduled to be played in Duluth to be moved to St. Cloud. The Huskies will now play Minnesota Duluth in a pair of NSIC games at the Husky Dome on Thursday afternoon. The first game is slated for 2 p.m. and the second to follow at 4 p.m. It will be a home game for the Bulldogs. The games for the weekend, scheduled to be played against Upper Iowa University in Fayette have also been cancelled, due to field conditions.

Yet another SCSU team has been affected by the weather this spring. The men’s and women’s golf teams head to Wayne, Nebraska to participate in the Wayne State Spring Invite Friday and Saturday. The team lost out on one meet already due to weather. Both teams will participate in four competitions before the NSIC Conference Championship in late April.